Awards Announcement at Cannes Lions 2025: Acknowledgement of Exceptional Audio, Outdoor, and Print Campaigns
2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Wrap-Up
Sixty-one golden trophies were handed out at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025, covering six categories: Audio & Radio, Print & Publishing, Outdoor, Health & Wellness, Pharma, and Lions Health and United Nations Grand Prix for Good.
The winners hailed from diverse corners of the globe: Brazil, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Singapore, China, and New Zealand.
Hearing is Believing
The Audio & Radio category was won by Budweiser's 'One Second Ads' by Africa Creative DDB, São Paulo. The campaign, featuring short, catchy music snippets, showcased the brand's clever ingenuity. Fans were encouraged to guess the songs on social media, with the lucky ones receiving discount codes. The one-second format was a stroke of genius, allowing the brand to avoid expensive music rights while still capturing fans' attention. This clever campaign proves that the length of an advertisement doesn't determine its success – it all comes down to engagement.
PENNY's Price Power
Serviceplan Munich took home the Print & Publishing Grand Prix for their 'Price Packs' campaign for PENNY. Our experts predicted this victory due to the smart conversion of PENNY's products into effective media channels. The brand repackaged five household items, emphasizing their stable prices amidst Europe's high inflation and price instability. The minimal branding made the Price Packs stand out in stores, contributing to the company's best-selling month ever. The campaign brought in an impressive $120 million in earned media.
Outdoor, Defied
The Outdoor Lions category saw two Grand Prix winners. The first went to KitKat's 'Phone Break' campaign by VML, Prague. This campaign expertly played on society's phone addiction by swapping people's smartphones with KitKat bars in everyday scenarios. Outdoor Lions Jury President, Keka Morelle, praised the campaign for its strong message and masterful execution.
The second Grand Prix in this category went to the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Paris 2024 by Paris 2024. This unexpected win saw the Seine River transformed into a massive stage for the event, redefining the concept of public space as a platform for emotional and culturally relevant brand expression.
Health & Wellness and Pharma Honors
Viatris' 'Make Love Last - Bedroom' by Ogilvy, Shanghai, took the Pharma Lions Grand Prix, while Unilever's 'Vaseline Verified' by Ogilvy, Singapore, claimed the Health & Wellness Grand Prix. The former repositioned Viagra with an emotional narrative focusing on long-term relationships, and the latter addressed skincare misinformation in underserved communities via platform-native storytelling.
Making a Difference
The Lions Health and United Nations Grand Prix for Good was awarded to the New Zealand Herpes Foundation for their 'The Best Place In The World To Have Herpes' campaign by Finch in Sydney and Motion Sickness in Auckland, New Zealand. This campaign, using humor and transparency, sought to destigmatize sexually transmitted infections and promoted global awareness.
With these groundbreaking campaigns, this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity once again showcased the power of creative storytelling and clever strategy. Stay tuned to see what next year brings!
Featured image: 'Phone Break' for KitKat by VML Prague
- The Audio & Radio category witnessed an unusual approach to advertising with Budweiser's 'One Second Ads' campaign, featuring short music snippets and engaging social media games, demonstrating that creativity, rather than length, drives success in branding.
- PENNY's 'Price Packs' campaign, managed by Serviceplan Munich, triumphing in the Print & Publishing Grand Prix, creative repackaging of essential household items effectively turned them into cost-effective media channels, garnering $120 million in earned media and boosting sales.
- This year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity witnessed the transitional use of public spaces, especially with the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Paris 2024 and the Paris 2024 team, redefining the traditional idea of outdoor media and showcasing the potential for sports, racing, and grand-prix events to become creative branding platforms.
